Check-In Post - May 11th 2025

[badly_knitted]

Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.

Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.


This Week's Question: Do you change crafts with the season or stick to the same crafts year round?


If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!

Comments

[badly_knitted]

More work outside, cutting back a bit of forsythia, and clearing some junk. Cleared away an old compost bag, and underneath it, found a car wheel. Not just the tyre, the whole wheel, like a spare wheel... No idea where it came from, how it ended up there, or what to do with it. I hope it wasn't the spare from one of my cars...


Cross stitch is progressing slowly, although it was a struggle today figuring out where I'd got to. I maybe completed one square inch in total, but not in a square, if that makes sense. Probably doesn't.


Caterpillar count: 12. I found three on one leaf! I also had another one fall off somewhere I couldn't get to. Always seems to be one that gets away.

[darkcedars]

Hmmm mystery wheel. Strange day!

[badly_knitted]

That's life in my garden...

[fadingfootsteps]

Catepillars keep going down. Let's hope they stay pretty down, even if it still takes some hunting.

I get the cross stitch math if it helps, even though I don't do cross stitch. irregular shape surface area = ~1 inch.

[badly_knitted]

Caught two more caterpillars this evening, bringing today's total to 14.

Yes, exactly!

[peaceful_sands]

Well done on garden progress and caterpillar tracking (despite the one that got away). Maybe the wheel came through the Rift and should be the start of a new story ;)

[badly_knitted]

Thanks!

As if I don't already have a thousand story ideas in various stages of writing... *grins* I'll bear it in mind though.

[nagi_schwarz]

That wheel is so random. I guess if it’s been hidden all this time and not missed it’s not vital? Kudos to you for crafting progress, though sorry about the frustration.

[badly_knitted]

It's no good for anything now anyway, it's all rusty.

My friend will be in England in three weeks! No way I can finish it by then =( I'm still gonna try though.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yesterday I assembled the two strawberry towers and planted them with 36 wild strawberry plants. \o/ I feel very accomplished about that.

Today I bought more planters, 2 short ones and a tall one with shelves.

We plan to hook up the new garden hose in its reel.

I'm hoping to assemble set up the troughs today, but I don't know how far I'll get because the weather is hot.

Oh, and yesterday I posted pictures so you can see some of my work in the House Yard. I also got some at the Charleston Food Forest, if anyone's into permaculture. I like photography as a visual hobby because I can't draw well.

Re: Yes ...

[darkcedars]

Wild strawberries are on my wishlist, hope yours grow well!

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[ysabetwordsmith]

I'll need to water them generously while they establish.

A few places sell wild strawberries. I'd suggest buying 3 or so and then propagating from runners.

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[fadingfootsteps]

MANY strawberries. Very productive day!

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[badly_knitted]

Well done! Maybe next year I can get my strawberry tower back in action. It needs repairs though.

Sounds like you've got plenty more things to plant up!

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[ysabetwordsmith]

I do have a lot of other things to plant, but I'm having fun. This year is more work because I had a lot of new empty pots to fill.

Re: Yes ...

[badly_knitted]

It will be worth it for the wonderful display of flowers you'll have. The bees and the birds will thank you.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I do get a LOT of wildlife here.

This year I'm seeing several different skunks wandering around the yard. They're phlegmatic critters. If they're away from the house, I don't care. If they come close to the house, I shoo them away and remind them where the human territory is. But they're cute to watch when they are, say, digging in the south lot or pushing through tall grass.

Re: Yes ...

[badly_knitted]

I do rather like skunks. Not native to Britain, but they're cute to look at. As long as they don't get alarmed and go on the defensive. I am lucky enough never to have smelled skunk.

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[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I do rather like skunks. Not native to Britain, but they're cute to look at. As long as they don't get alarmed and go on the defensive.<<

Skunks prefer not to use their main gun. It is biologically expensive to reload, they have very limited ammunition, and they're not fond of the smell either. Hence why they have a warning routine to discourage predators. So if you see a skunk, you can just stand there, or make a bit of noise, and the skunk will typically scurry away. I usually just say, "Excuse me, this is human territory."

To fire, they must aim their anal glands at a target and lift their tail. A skunk can't hit you if it's facing you; although it can release a cloud, it usually won't.

>> I am lucky enough never to have smelled skunk. <<

It's a lot like rotten egg, but more persistent.

Re: Yes ...

[badly_knitted]

Thanks for the skunk tips. I'll likely never need them, then again, I never know what will show up in my garden. I wouldn't put it past the universe to somehow gift me with a random skunk.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

It's fun to share knowledge.

Also, skunks are scavengers. They like to get into small places looking for things. People ship cargo, produce, even garbage. It's not unfeasible for a skunk to hitch a ride.

On the other hoof, some people keep fancy skunks as pets. You never know what might get loose.

Re: Yes ...

[badly_knitted]

Oh yes, I know all about things getting loose from the ferret I caught in my garden, and the lovebird... Ferrets are sweet, if pungent. Lovebirds are vicious little monsters. I've handled birds most of my life and never met anything more savage!

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Ferrets are little stinkers. I have a ferret Tarot deck. The Tower is a huge bag of ferret chow falling over toward a fleeing ferret.

Lovebirds are beautiful but do have a reputation for biting.

Re: Yes ...

[badly_knitted]

The lovebird was outside on the washing line, I had no choice but to grab it, and it grabbed me in return, sinking its beak right through the skin between my thumb and forefinger. I was shouting to my mum to find a cage I could put the bird in while it kept biting harder and harder... It was eventually reunited with its owner, having escaped during a storm and travelled more than 15 miles.

The ferret was far nicer. I called to it, it trotted over to me, and I picked it up. Of course, then I had a ferret dangling from one hand and nowhere to put it. Mum had to dig out the pet carrier for temporary housing while I cleared out the hutch below my rabbit, who was not pleased with his neighbour. The owner didn't even respond to the notices I put up for three days, by which time I'd already handed the ferret over to the RSPCA. It was a female in heat, wouldn't eat or drink, so it needed to be with someone who knew more than I did.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

For future reference, it's often possible to catch a bird by tossing a sheet over it. That's what I've used when there's a bird loose indoors somehow. You have a wide catch area and no need to make direct contact.

Re: Yes ...

[badly_knitted]

It depends on the type of bird, and also whether there is time to get something else to catch it with, which there wasn't. I needed to grab it before it flew away, and there was very little space to work in. I've been catching birds in various ways for 50 years, wild ones that have got into people's houses, my own budgies and cockatiels to clip their claws and beaks, my zebra finches when I used to breed and show them, injured birds for treatment. If I'd had the time I would have slipped a glove on, that's all that's needed for protection, but it was there, and all I could do was grab and hope for the best. The ideal way to hold a small bird is with its head between the first and second fingers, it limits movement, but I couldn't do that because of the angle I had to grab it from.

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[peaceful_sands]

Well done! Good luck - I hope your crop in time is successful.

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[ysabetwordsmith]

I wound up finishing the telephone pole garden instead, because my partner Doug was mowing part of the south lot.

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[nagi_schwarz]

The photographs of your garden are lovely! Thank you for sharing! Also the food garden is so cool.

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[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm glad you liked the pictures. :D Yeah, I'm a big fan of the Charleston Food Forest.

[darkcedars]

I've worked on the mantle runner a bit.

Planted the tulips from the Tulip Festival sale last weekend.

Cherry crisp is in the oven, salad is made, waiting for parents to turn up.

[fadingfootsteps]

mmm cherry crisp...

Hope the tulips grow good!

[badly_knitted]

Excellent!

What colours will the tulips be?


Enjoy the cherry crisp, and the rest of dinner!

[peaceful_sands]

Well done!

[nagi_schwarz]

Hope the party went well! Food sounds delicious. Kudos to you for planting and crafting!

[fadingfootsteps]

I'm doing something different today than the dice bag, which is trying to make a togekiss plushie. Slow going, because I am actually using chenille yarn and using a stitch marker in every stitch to refuse to drop any, but it's going!

Seam ripper status: lost in the woods still. I fear it may never come home.

[badly_knitted]

Ooh, that sounds interesting! I've never tried chenille yarn, so I can only imagine how tricky it must be to work with. Good luck with it!

The seam ripper will probably show up once you get a new one.

[peaceful_sands]

It sounds like it's hard work - but hopefully the end result will be worth all the effort. Sorry about the still missing seam ripper.

[nagi_schwarz]

Oh no! Sorry about the seam ripper. Good luck with the plushie! I struggle with chenille yarn a lot.

[peaceful_sands]

Not much achieved today but thought I'd post photos of the two finished cushion covers. First up, Stitch - this is the one that I was particularly happy with and the kit was a good one:



The second has hearts on a white background and the word on it is 'Love' - this is the kit that I've been moaning about for the last couple of weeks as it came missing several colours and with too much poor quality yarn. Thank goodness for the other kits that I'd done beforehand that saved the day:

[badly_knitted]

Stitch is very cute and fluffy, and the second kit has turned out pretty as well, thanks to your ingenuity! Kudos for getting it done despite the missing colours and poor quality yarn.

[nagi_schwarz]

Both cushions look lovely! Your crafting improvisation for the second one is impressive indeed.

[nagi_schwarz]

No crafting today besides cutting up the recycled paper so it’s the right size for the journal I plan on making eventually. I did see a random origami craft I want to try, that looks quick and easy. We shall see if I have time tonight.

[badly_knitted]

Cutting the paper is still progress!

Have fun with the origami craft.

[malurette]

I've paused my previous scarf project to start a new one in white and grey tones to go with the jumper + bérêt. It's going well! and I've gathered the bits & bobs of left-over coloured wool I'll need but not started yet on the pompoms.

[badly_knitted]

You are going to be so colour coordinated! Well done!